Elite Ambition (8 page)

“So, was your old school like this at all?” Julia asked. “You never said where you went.”

I tensed waiting for Brit's answer and wondering how the Trio would react.

“Charles Middle School,” Brit said, taking a bite of her grilled cheese.

The three girls paused, looking at each other.

“Charles,” Julia said slowly. “Is that … in New York? I've never heard of it.”

“Nope,” Brit said, smiling. “It's in Connecticut. Sasha and I found out that we're both from small towns. We were only a few miles apart.”

“Omigod,” Julia said. She put her hand over her heart. “It's like you guys are long lost sisters or something.” She rolled her eyes and dipped a carrot stick in blue cheese dressing.

Months ago, I would have crumpled at being treated like
that by one of the Trio. But Brit laughed. Shock replaced the smug look on Julia's face. Heather and Alison's gazes were both on Brit—neither girl seemed fazed by what Brit had just admitted.

“It
is
awesome to meet someone else from a tiny town,” Brit said. “Are all you from big cities?”

Alison nodded. “New York City,” she said. Her tone was nothing like Julia's had been. “But even with all the perks of living there, none of us wanted to pass up Canterwood. It definitely has the best riding program.”

I just sat there, listening to them talk about the other nearby schools and how none compared to Canterwood. The only one who'd reacted at Brit's admission had been Julia. Heather wasn't making
one
comment to Brit like she'd made to me about being out of my league at Canterwood.

I forced my attention back to their conversation.

“I've been riding since I could walk,” Brit said. “I clicked with Apollo the second I saw him.”

“That's awesome,” I said. “Because Charm and I
definitely
didn't get along too well when we first met. He threw me in the grass and galloped off. For a few minutes, I wished there was a return receipt for him.”

Brit and the Trio laughed.

“Sorry to inform you, Silver, but you've got to acknowledge that you
still
get tossed sometimes,” Heather teased.

I stuck out my tongue at Heather, not even bothering to come up with a response.

“What's your riding specialty?” Alison asked Brit.

Julia, not bothering to cover her yawn, couldn't have looked more bored.

“I love dressage,” Brit said. “I've been studying it since I started riding and it's my favorite discipline.”

Just like Callie,
I thought. Callie, without question, was the strongest dressage rider in eighth grade.

Brit finished the final bite of her grilled cheese and checked her phone. “I've got a meeting with Ms. Utz about extracurriculars,” she said. She picked up her beige tray, smiling at us. “Thanks again for inviting me to lunch.”

“Invite's always open,” Heather said.

Julia's face turned pink. She was treating Brit just as she'd acted toward me when Heather had first started becoming my friend. I didn't get why Julia was so worried—it's not like she was going to be forced out of the Trio.

Brit walked away from the Trio's table and left the caf. Julia leaned across the table, looking as if she was going to pounce on Heather.

“What are you doing?” Julia asked.

Heather folded her arms. “Excuse me?” Her tone was biting.

“I'm sorry, but first we let Sasha hang with us,” Julia said. She acted as if I wasn't even there. “And that's fine. She
did
save Alison and me from Jasmine and I sort of trust her. But
Brit
? We don't even know her. We don't need anyone else in our group! We're the
Trio.
”

Alison scraped chocolate pudding from her bowl, not looking up. My eyes flickered to Heather's face.

“Sasha isn't part of this discussion,” Heather said. “And as for Brit, we want her on our side. She hasn't aligned with anyone else yet. She's a great rider. Plus, she hasn't been here long and everyone wants to be her friend.”

The way Heather talked about Brit—like she was a prize or trophy—made me squirm a little.

“If everyone wants her in their group, then we need to get her on our side,” Heather added. “She'll probably start her own clique if she gets the chance. And
we're
the ones who rule this grade.”

“But what's so special about her?” Julia pressed.

Alison crunched on a carrot stick so loud that it was as if she was trying to break the death glare between Heather and Julia.

“If you don't like her—fine,” Heather said. “There's always another seat open at a different table.”

Julia's face went from red to white in half a second.

“Done eating?” Heather asked, looking at Alison and me.

I nodded and so did Alison.

We got up and, flanking Heather, left the cafeteria. And Julia.

 9 

THROWN

ALL THROUGH AFTERNOON CLASSES, I COULDN'T stop thinking about what had happened at lunch. Heather and Julia would make up—they'd had fights before—but I'd never seen Julia so threatened by anyone. Considering Brit had been nice to everyone since she'd gotten here, I didn't understand why Julia found her so intimidating.

I hurried back to my room after classes ended and rushed through putting on my riding clothes so I could get to the stable ASAP. Julia wasn't in my riding class, but I knew she'd be practicing. I was dying to know if she and Heather were back to being friends.

The tack room was my first stop and inside, I found Alison gathering Sunstruck's tack in her arms.
Perfect.

“Is everything cool with Heather and Julia?” I asked. “Things got a little weird at lunch.”

Alison sighed. “Yeah, that was a little intense. But they're fine now. Julia told Heather she wouldn't be mean to Brit anymore. And Julia apologized to Brit when we ran into her near the science building.”

“That's good,” I said. “Brit seems cool. I really like her.”

“Me too,” Alison said. She shifted the saddle in her arms. “Julia's always that way, though, with new people.” She gave me a half smile. “You know that from experience.”

“Unfortunately,” I said. “You guys riding together now?”

Alison nodded. “Yep. Practicing on our own before our lesson with Mr. Conner.”

“How's Cal—,” I started to say, before I could stop myself.

“How's
Callie
doing in riding class?” Alison asked, her tone gentle. She understood why it was hard for me to talk about Callie.

“Yeah.” My voice was quiet. “I just want to know. I mean, we're not talking, but YENT trials are coming up. I still care about her riding.”

“She's doing great,” Alison said. “You know Callie—she works harder than anyone and she's been so focused on riding that it shows in every practice.”

I leaned against the tack room wall, both sad and happy at the same time. Focused, determined Callie was the BFF that I missed. But I was happy she was doing well in the advanced class.

Alison headed for the door. “I've got to tack up, but see you later.”

“'Kay. Bye.”

Alison left, closing the door behind her. Talking about Callie made me think about Jacob. On Friday, Callie would know the truth. I knew I had to let Jacob do what he wanted, but just thinking about it made me nauseous. I didn't want him to look like the bad guy because I cared about him too much.
But it's his decision,
I reminded myself.

I pulled out my phone and typed a quick message.

Want 2 meet aftr my riding lesson?

It took Jacob seconds to respond.

Of course. Txt me when ur done.

That made me smile and feel a little less sick. Just seeing him would make me feel better. More than anything, I wanted to try and see if we could make it as boyfriend and girlfriend. And, even though I hated thinking about how Callie would look at him when she knew the truth, I knew deep down that my relationship with Jacob couldn't start with lies. Not too long ago, I'd gotten caught up in lies I'd
created to protect people I cared about. But they'd only ended up backfiring. Jacob was right—we had to be honest and make a clean start. I picked up Charm's tack and walked down the aisle, thinking about what I was going to do. I'd tell Paige on Friday morning too. Then, the truth about what happened at my party would spread over campus. I'd be exonerated, but Jacob …

Charm, always in tune with me, put his head over the stall door as I approached.

“Hi, gorgeous,” I said. “Ready to work?”

Charm snorted and, laughing, I put his tack on the trunk outside his stall. I slid open his stall door and led him out in front of his stall. I glanced up and down the aisle—all of the crossties were full.

“We'll stay here, then,” I told him. He didn't move as I clipped the lead line to the ring under his chin and used a slip knot to tie him to the black iron bars in front of his stall.

His coat was already shiny: Mike had groomed him after my morning lesson. All Charm needed was a quick once-over with the body brush and he was ready to be tacked up. I led him to the outdoor arena. We were warming up when Heather and Brit rode in together.

They split up, and we worked our horses in separate
spaces of the arena while we waited for Mr. Conner to arrive. Charm, high-strung, fought my hands and asked for more rein as we trotted around the arena.

I sat deeper in the saddle, trying to force my weight down into my heels.

“No,” I said. “Trot.”

Charm yanked his head and the reins seesawed against his neck. He tried to break into a canter, but I checked him.

What is going on with him?
I thought. He was acting as if he hadn't been exercised in months.

He settled for a second, but I kept my eyes on his ears. Both of them pointed forward and I knew he wasn't listening to me. I did a half halt and pulled gently on the reins, asking him to walk. But he kept trotting and ducked his head.

“N—”

I couldn't even get the word out. Charm bucked, sending me flying through the air. I twisted in the air and landed on my shoulder like I'd been taught. But the impact of my body hitting the ground stunned me. I gasped for breath and didn't move—too shocked at what had just happened.

Hoofbeats neared me and just as I sat up, Brit and
Heather reached me with Charm in tow. Brit jumped out of her saddle while Heather held Charm.

“Are you okay?” Heather asked.

I nodded, taking a shaky breath. “Fine. Just got the wind knocked out of me.”

“What happened?” Brit asked. Her wide eyes flicked over my face and her skin was pale.

“I don't know,” I said, standing with help from Brit. “He wasn't listening to me when I asked him to slow. I knew he was going to buck when his head went down, but it was too late for me to stop him.”

Next to Aristocrat, a contrite-looking Charm had his head low to the ground. He wouldn't look at me. He knew he'd messed up.

“It happens,” Heather said. “Sometimes, there's no explanation for it. But seriously. You landed pretty hard. Do you want to see the nurse just to make sure everything's okay?”

“Aw, are you worried about me?” I asked, teasingly.

Heather rolled her eyes. “Hardly. I just don't want a lame rider on my team at the schooling show.”

I moved my arms and legs, showing her that I was fine. “See? No nurse necessary. I'm ready to get back on. And
stay
on.” I brushed dirt off my shoulder and pants.

I took Charm's reins from Heather and mounted. He moved at the slightest cue from me—trying to make up for what he'd done. Whatever it was, he'd gotten it out of his system because he was an angel for the rest of the warm-up.

Mr. Conner rode Lexington, a young horse he was training, into the arena. Mr. Conner on horseback meant something awesome: cross-country!